Plans for Bainbridge Island School Projects Trimmed in Face of Escalating Costs

School officials, faced with soaring construction costs, have
unveiled a revised plan to expand Bainbridge High School.

Voters earlier this year approved a $31.1 million bond to pay for
the expansion and projects at most other island schools. While school
planners factored in inflation during the design stage, district
officials say the construction climate has caused projected costs to
balloon.

"We do have some challenges," said Tamela Van Winkle, facilities
director for Bainbridge Island schools, "but we're being proactive
about it. This shouldn't affect the original intent of the bond."

To keep the project within the $31.1 million budget, architects have
scaled back parts of the project to save an estimated $1.3 million.
Among the 41 alterations, the district would spend less on landscaping,
drop a planned library patio and reduce the amount of acoustic wooden
wall paneling.

"It's important that none of the changes will affect the actual
learning environment," school board President Bruce Weiland said.

Van Winkle said she does not expect any further changes to the high
school project.

Other Kitsap school districts have experienced the same challenges
with construction projects. Local contractors and architects are
overwhelmed with projects thanks to development across the Puget Sound
region. And construction supplies are becoming scarce due to the
rebuilding effort in areas hit by Hurricane Katrina and rapid
development in China.

Bainbridge school administrators hired a Seattle-based firm, Ryder
Hunt, to estimate the cost of the projects after getting its original
estimate from The Robinson Company.

"We've double-estimated to make sure that we're as accurate as we
can possibly be," Weiland said.

The bids will go out in February. The goal is to complete the high
school expansion by the start of the 2008-09 school year.

Some local districts have had difficulty getting competitive bids
from contractors. Bremerton School District, which is expanding its
high school and middle school, has received only one bid on some
projects.

"We certainly hope that's not the case here," Weiland said.

Weiland said the district must keep the projects within the $31.1
million budget, both to maintain voter confidence and because there is
not enough money in the district's operating budget.